December 31, 2011

It’s been an incredible year, highlighted by a career
change, an engagement and a new home. After 6 years in Australia, I am finally
starting to feel at home here, and I
have finally found my place.

Towards the end of 2011, I took some radical steps towards
even a healthier, happier future. I went
back to being a vegetarian (which I’ve been for the past 10 years on and off),
I quit sugar (you can read about it here) and dairy, I changed my exercise to
be more holistic and gentle, and had a clean start in our new home
after ditching most chemicals (you can read more about it here) used in our daily
cleaning and beauty routines. All of this, I’m sure, will have even greater
benefits in the long run.

I am looking forward to continuing on this clean path in the New Year. I will
strive to be even more mindful about my surroundings, the environment and my
impact on it. I will make every effort to have a natural approach in all areas
of my life – from mindful consuming and chemical-free cleaning to eating clean and locally.

There will be some changes and challenges I am looking forward to in 2012. We are, as most of you know, getting married in a few months' time and planning a wedding (although a small and modest one) is at the same time exciting and somewhat stressful. I am also taking up a personal challenge by going back to 'school' for one year. I will share more details about this later, but I am beyond excited to begin my studies.

Here is my menu for this New Year's celebrations. It's a celebration of seasonal produce and clean and fresh flavours. I've taken a couple of my old favourites and added the delicious open sandwiches on to the menu. Enjoy!

2. Mix the mashed sweet potato with almond milk to a mixture that resembles loose mashed potato. Add the flour, egg and salt in to the mixture. You should have a soft dough (the softer dough, the softer bread). Knead the dough lightly (just enough to mix all ingredients well) and turn the dough on the baking tray. Dust your fingers in some extra flour and spread the dough on the tray (about 1-2 cm thick).

3. Baked for about 20 minutes or until the bread feels firm to touch and has brown spots on top. Leave to cool on a wire rack.